Photographing Icons: Beyond the Postcard Shot -- National Geographic

Find an Unusual Angle
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Catherine Karnow is a San Francisco-based photographer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, and other publications. She has been teaching photography workshops since 1995.
As a travel photographer, I’m always looking for fresh ways to shoot iconic subjects. We’ve all seen the postcard shots of the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge. They mostly show icons as architectural elements devoid of people. I aim to shoot pictures that are unique and interesting, pictures that also convey the people and culture of an icon’s location.
The Hollywood sign in Los Angeles is almost always photographed from the front—a long-lens telephoto shot of the huge letters against the hillside. I wanted to see what the sign looked like up close. As I began to explore, I realized that a road runs right behind the sign. I hiked up the hill above the road and got a great view of both the sign from an unusual angle and the runners and walkers passing below. An additional bonus was seeing the view down the valley of Los Angeles: a wide-open vista of canyons and neighborhoods. —Catherine Karnow
Use a Slow Shutter Speed to Show Motion
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Successful photographs are often images with energy. Trams like the one pictured, symbols of old Hong Kong, have been around for over a hundred years and are a great way to see the city. To create a fun photograph full of motion, I slowed down the shutter to 1/80 of a second and kept the camera fixed on a specific spot on a passing tram. This technique, called panning, blurs the background while keeping the tram sharply in focus. You get the feeling of riding through the city. —Catherine Karnow
Take a Big Step Back
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
You don’t have to stand right in front of an icon to show what it looks like. On assignment in Sydney, I photographed the famous Harbour Bridge from many angles—underneath from a boat, above from a seaplane, on the bridge itself since you can actually climb it, and from the opposite bank—but my favorite shot ended up being the one I took from a park quite far away. The early morning fog gives the image an ethereal quality, which emphasizes the romantic character we often give to icons. Because we know so well what icons look like, even from afar they are easily recognizable. —Catherine Karnow
Try an Unusual Composition
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Creating layers of interest can make your shots more intriguing. The St. Augustine Cathedral in Tucson, Arizona, is a beautiful structure, but I wasn’t content to just point the camera at the building. Proving the maxim that so often your shot is behind you, I turned and saw the reflection of the cathedral in the large window of a parked car. The addition of the young girl resting her head on her arms adds a human, emotional element. —Catherine Karnow
Shoot at Dusk
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Beautiful light is always important in successful imagery, especially in an architectural shot. Occurring between day and night, dusk gives the most romantic light, and I love to see how icons look at that magical time. I was lucky to have an unusually clear evening while shooting Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. The key to shooting at dusk is to start fairly soon after sunset and keep shooting until it’s dark. Some shots look great at early dusk, and some look better as it gets darker—you never know exactly which time will be right. Look for the moment when the artificial lights on or directed at the building match in value the light of the dusk sky. In this case, I ended up loving the sky at early dusk, when it turned a very pale blue. The lightness of the sky matches the whiteness of the building. —Catherine Karnow
Go Inside
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
When shooting icons, consider going inside. On assignment in Paris I was looking for a new way to shoot the Louvre. I had shot the exterior and I.M. Pei’s famous glass pyramid and was thrilled that I didn't need special permission to shoot the interior, with its fabulous red walls and high, majestic ceilings. I was in a section of the museum exhibiting 13th- to 15th-century Italian works when I turned a corner and saw a huge crowd of people jostling and staring as if there were a major celebrity in the gallery. I thought perhaps Angelina Jolie or Julia Roberts was causing the stir. But when I went into the gallery, I saw that they were all straining toward Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” in earnest anticipation, as though something were going to happen suddenly. The “Mona Lisa” is, of course, the real celebrity of the Louvre, so this image says it all. —Catherine Karnow
Incorporate Surrounding Elements to Provide Context
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
More often than not when shooting, I love to include the elements surrounding iconic monuments. In the oldest, most historic part of London, known as the City, the ultramodern building affectionately called the "Gherkin" has become a City symbol. All of the postcards I saw included the building as part of the modern skyline of London. But I wanted a more intimate image—I love to show what an icon looks like to the people who live where it’s located. In this case, I also wanted to shoot at dusk, when the lights in the building glow and the windows reflect the royal-blue sky. I explored angles in ever widening concentric circles until I came upon exactly the location I wanted. It was the site of one of London's oldest churches, with the Gherkin rising majestically behind. But to make the shot work, I needed the church to be lit and open during dusk. By happy luck, the church held services on Sundays at 7 p.m., exactly the right time of evening for both good light and church activity. The image shows the iconic building within a larger scene. It looks the way it does to the people who see it every day. —Catherine Karnow
Include People
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia, has been shot countless times, and indeed it’s a magnificent building of turquoise onion domes and gold mosaics. At first I was certainly drawn to its opulent façade, but then I found myself having more fun shooting the numerous couples arriving to have their official wedding portraits taken on the lovely bridge nearby. In the middle of a posed session, a groom suddenly swept his bride off her feet—literally—and their joy was palpable. Somehow the church seems all the more beautiful and alive with the addition of the young couple caught in a joyous moment. —Catherine Karnow
Capture the True Experience
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Lombard Street is one of the great symbols of San Francisco, and people throng to this iconic site to photograph the curves and flowers. But to truly experience the street is to ride down it. I live in San Francisco and shoot here often, and I’ve found that the best way to show the adventure of Lombard Street is to capture someone zipping down on a bicycle; the thrill of the curves is more palpable. —Catherine Karnow
Include a Strong Element in the Foreground
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Whenever I shoot views from an iconic building, I love to include a strong element in the foreground. Not only does this create drama, but it also gives the viewer a "you are there" feeling. High up on a walkway at Notre Dame in Paris, I used a wide-angle lens to include the famous gargoyles whose grotesque forms seem to exemplify the darkness of the Middle Ages. As luck would have it, I was blessed that day to have a dark, stormy sky enhancing the mood. I chose these two gargoyles because I liked that the closer one has a strong profile, while the other is looking out to the view, leading the viewer to see out over the rooftops of Paris and beyond. —Catherine Karnow